odds against finding her
by darkatdusk
Summary: Hi, im new to ff. Bones had been kidnapped, its a race against time. Will booth find her? Have fun reading, please read and review!


The case finished, finally. Booth was glad the man who tortured and killed five seven year olds was behind bars. It was bones who had effectively proved who the killer was. Without her it would have taken much longer or never been solved. Somewhere inside he felt a twang of jealousy but mostly he felt relived.

"booth." He was heading for his car when Brennan ran over.

"Hi, good job on the case. Wanna go get a drink?"

"Thank you, but all of our efforts where important in soling the case. I'd love to but I've got to clean the lad, sorry." She smiled sweetly.

"Ok, see you." he smiled back.

Brennan strolled of towards the lab, and booth unlocked his car. As he climbed in he felt eyes on his back. He shook his head, cursing himself for being suspicious. No one would be watching him in a dark car park at eight o'clock. But as he turned onto the road, he couldn't shake the feeling he'd heard someone scream.

Beep beep. Booth pushed himself up ad looked at the time. Six in the morning. His phone was beeping. There were three texts. The first one was a report from the police. The van carrying the killer had crashed and the driver was dead, the prisoner hadn't been found. They had yet to find the cause of the crash. The second was a mysterious text, the number wasn't recognised, and all it said was 'hahaha you'll never find us'. The final message was from the police, CCTV had caught bones being dragged out of the lab last night.

Still half asleep, he causally put down his phone. About to lie down, what he had read hit him. He sat bolt upright. Bones had been kidnapped, by the man she proved guilty. He threw his phone at the wall and got out of bed. He paced the room before heading into the office.

As the car turned into his usual space, booth realised he had no idea what to do. His emotions towards what had happened surprised him. Would he get angry, upset? He actually had no proof of bones capture, but somehow he knew he was right.

"Booth," yelled sweets as he ran across the parking lot.

"What is it sweets?" booth wasn't really in the mood to talk to a shrink. Certainly not one who knew the truth about him and Brennan.

"I was just checking how you are. How do you feel about what's happened?" yep, booth thought, he was 'shrinking' on him.

"I'm fine, now I've got work to do." He tried to push past and walk away.

"You can't run from your feelings!" shouted sweets as booth swiftly walked away.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Booth added.

His car door opened. Booth sighed, not wanting to leave yet. He'd found nothing to prove what he knew. The CCTV was fuzzy and the no one knew where the man, Johnson as he was being called, had lived before the arrest. Not to mention where he would be now. They had never been able to properly name Johnson, as they'd found dozens of passports and ids. None seemed more real than the last. Damn, booth thought before starting the engine and driving out into the dark. He could almost feel Brennan there, somewhere. How was she? Alive, he was sure of it, but for how long?

He got next to no sleep that night. He spent most of the time on the internet looking for all the names Johnson had called himself. Although the chances of him using the same one was low. When he tried to sleep he couldn't. He thought of the last time he'd spoken to bones. What if he had convinced her to come out with him? She would be safe right now. It was hard to keep himself from crying.

The next day and night were the same. Avoiding his friends, spending every minute looking for proof. By the third morning he was exhausted, but he didn't care.

A million pieces of paper lay on booths desk. A hundred pictures of bones hung on the wall. Where was she? He when through some papers again, but it seemed hopeless. Suddenly the feeling of being watched returned. His fears told him it was the same person who kidnapped bones, the one he'd sensed in the car park that night. So he continued what he was doing, while moving his free hand onto his gun. The he tensed and looked up, expecting to see a man in a mask or the unruly face of Johnson. But it was sweets that looked back at him. Booth was almost tempted to take him gun out anyway, as a warning not to spy on him. But sweets spoke first.

"You're on edge booth." He remarked plainly.

"What are you talking about?"

"The gun, I saw you reach for it, you're to tense. And you haven't slept, or rested. You really miss her don't you; you need to get her back."

"Sweets, I'm just..." he broke off as someone walked past. He couldn't see who it was, the figure was blurry. Everything was blurry, he realised. Suddenly he noticed properly how tired he was, he hadn't slept in three days and two nights. When was the last time he'd eaten? Crap, he thought. Before he could say anything else, sweets pulled him out and into the corridor.

The door slammed, it took booth a second to work out where he was. Sweets office of course.

"Booth, how do you really feel about Brennan's disappearance?" booth stared at sweets mouth as it moved. It looked really strange, but he was determined not to let sweets see how exhausted he was.

"I, I want her back, don't you? I want that jerk Johnson behind bars. I want to catch him and make him pay..."

"You want to prove something?"

"How did you... yes, I saw bones the night she was kidnapped. In the car park, she told me she had to clean the lab. I felt as though someone was watching me. I think it was him, that's why a reached for my gun." His head fell into his hands, thins couldn't be happening.

"Ok, look booth, none of this is your fault. You couldn't have known what would happen, or what danger she was in. You thought Johnson was safely in the back of a police van."

"No, it is my fault. What if I had convinced her to come out with me? She'd be here right now." He began to cry. Your losing it, he thought.

"Booth, he still would have been after her, he still would have been free. You couldn't have changed that."

"I could have shot him the moment he was proved guilty." He looked seriously at sweets.

"No, because this wouldn't have happened, so there would have been no reason to..."

"He killed kids, sweets. He deserved to be dead!" booth screamed, his voice braking with exhaustion.

"Why don't you go home and rest, booth?"

"No, I've got a case to solve!" he stormed out of the office. To the people starring at him as he charged out of the building, he must have looked as crazy as a killer. But he didn't care, he needed to find bones.

He stopped by the police office; he got as many people as possible looking for Johnson. He showed the all of his photos and on of bones to. With a bit of lying, he got the CIA tearing the city apart looking. At the phone records centre, he traced the phone the text had come from. As he walked past a restaurant, the smell tempted him, he could almost hear Brennan's logical mind telling him to go inside. But he didn't. Nothing mattered except finding Brennan.

His phone rang. Sweets, he rolled his eyes and answered.

"Where are you?" he sounded worried, let him be worried.

"Out trying to solve this."

"Did you know ninety percent of kidnappers who aren't taken for ransom money are dead by the first day?"

"No, I didn't, but I don't care."

"Booth, the chances of finding her alive are..."

"I don't care about the 'chances'. I know she's alive, I can feel it, and she's close too."

"Ok then. Keep that thought there, but be sensible to. Even with love in your heart you're not indestructible."

Booth simply hung up, not wanting to listen to anymore. He realised how stupid he was being though, walking around town wasn't going to help. She wasn't just going to turn the corner. But he couldn't give up either. He re-dialled sweets number.

"I, I don't know how to do this." He felt so powerless. He hated talking to sweets about thing like that but he knew he had to, for bones.

"You need to think logically. It's just another case, you can't do it alone."

"No, I need bones. And every time I think about what's at stake..."

"Then don't think, it's a normal case. Your just looking for a kidnapped women, ok?"

"Ok."

"Get some help, try the finder."

"No way, I hate that guy."

"Do you want Brennan back?"

"Shut up sweets." He hung up again. Sweets was his friend, but he hated it when he was right.

Back at home booth finally got some sleep. His talk with sweets had helped. Next morning he was fresh and ready. Surprisingly considering who he was going to work with today.

"_Where am I?"_

"_In a temporary holding."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I haven't sorted the pass ports out yet!"_

"_Why me?"_

"_Because your too smart, you'll ruin anything I do."_

"_But not in other countries."_

"_I always come back here."_

"_Oh. Why haven't you killed me?"_

"_It's too easy, I may need you."_

"_I'll get away."_

"_You're not that smart."_

"_Booth will get me."_

"_He's not that smart."_

"_I will get out!"_

"_Quiet love."_

Booth laid his head on the table. He remembered the finder's words. 'Nearby, so close you've touched it. But be quick, they will be leaving soon, their destination is a clue. China, that's where they're going, the passports are almost ready. Think, agent booth.' Damn jerk. He just loves to torment me. Booth racked his brain, then it hit him. Where had he passed where he'd felt he needed to go in? China, it all made sense now. He rushed out the door.

"_We're leaving."_

_She lay, staring. Her heart sank, booth hadn't come, and he was too late. Or he didn't care. This last thought tore her soul. She shook her head and lay still. The ropes around her hands ached._

"_Get up."_

"_No."_

"_Don't play games with me!" _

"_There not games, they are serious choices."_

"_Shut up and get out the door!"_

"_Never."_

"_Fine."_

_He kicked her where she lay, and again. She screamed and tears pricked in her eyes. But she stayed down. He pulled her to her feet and punched her. She flew at the wall, behind her she could her noises, a kitchen? He bruised her eye and dropped her back down. He stopped with his foot over her arm. Brennan was thinking the same as him, one move and my arm will break. She clenched her eyes and prepared._

_He fell backwards. Brennan looked up, confused. His eyes rolled into his head. She noticed the blood, the smash in the wall behind him. She sat there, in the middle of the small, dark room. Unable, for once, to take it all in._

Booth ran from the block where he'd taken the shot. He climbed through the now empty window. He had his eyes fixed on bones back the whole time. Johnson lay dead on the floor. Brennan sat in front. Bruises and cuts covered her face. Booth held her tight and she collapsed into him. He'd done it, she was safe. He beaten the odds against finding her.


End file.
